Green drive is growing on builders in Abu Dhabi

Green drive is growing on builders in Abu Dhabi ABU DHABI // When the Urban Planning Council launched its sustainability programme, Estidama, two years ago, pitching the green building guidelines was not an easy sell. "If you haven't done it before, sustainable is tough," said Edwin Young, an adviser for Estidama. Developers, builders and consultants initially baulked at the concept of green building, and nearly all the construction applications in the first three months after Estidama came online were rejected because they did not meet sustainability requirements. Changing attitudes is a challenge, for sure, and it can't happen overnight. "We spent a lot of last year talking about myth and fact," Mr Young said. Mazen Al Dahmani, the centre's general manager, said a dearth of Estidama-qualified consultants proved a challenge during construction. "We needed an additional team to support and guide the consultants and contractor," he said. Buildings also receive a sustainability rating for operation, which is assessed two years after completion. Mr Young said about 600 professionals were now qualified with Estidama, but added that training local consultants has been one of the UPC's biggest challenges. "We still have some issues overall, but people are now coming around," he said. "We're seeing everybody on board now - builders, suppliers, government agencies," Mr Alabbar said. We've changed the focus, and we're raising awareness. "Occupiers play an important role," said Rym Baouendi, an adviser for Estidama. In the past year, however, attitudes have been rapidly changing and the Urban Planning Council (UPC) is now training 30 people a week to use the programme. This year has seen so much progress, and we could not be prouder. When it comes to behaviour, we have an opportunity to promote our message in places like mosques and schools. Saeed Alabbar, the vice chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council, a forum of industry professionals committed to environment-friendly practices, said the progress in the past few years could be attributed to economic factors. We have to spread the word about how behaviour can have a positive impact. The first response is an automatic rejection saying 'I do not want to do it'. Sustainability will work, though, only if the occupants of green buildings change their behaviour. Abu Dhabi's first completed Estidama-compliant building - the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Al Ain, which opened late last year - used locally sourced materials and has a solar heating system. Experts at the World EcoConstruct Summit last week applauded the emirate's progress but warned that the battle was far from won. "This is about change," said Matthew Plumbridge, an environmental and sustainability planning consultant for the Department of Municipal Affairs. Green drive is growing on builders in Abu Dhabi Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 29/04/2012